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We will be there the last week of August. We have been to Yellowstone and the Black Hills and have seen bison, elk, moose, wolf, coyote, pronghorn, big horn sheep, prairie dogs, and burrows. We have never seen a bear. (We have seen black bears in Cades Cove in Great Smokey Mts.) Where would be our best bet to see and photograph bears? (of course at a distance!!!) Thanks

The very safest place to see bears, both grizzley and black bears, is at the Great Bear Adventure in Coram. Now I know I've said this dozens of times in other posts, but really, it is an amazing--if controversial--place to view bears from the safety of your car. Some people don't like the idea of these bears being confined to a 15 acre place, but some of these bears have been rescued from zoos, and all are very well cared for.

To find The Great Bear Adventure, simply drive through Coram, just outside of the West Entrance of GNP, and look for the big yellow fence and big sign saying "Your Car is Your Cage". He doesn't maintain any websites or any other tourist advertising other than driving by and seeing his yellow fence. You can stay as long as you like, take as many photos as you like, just don't roll down your windows or get out of your car, as this is against their rules and for your own safety.

Seeing bears safely, and at close range, will be an experience you'll likely not ever forget.

Enjoy!

One destination mentioned in this post

depends on how close you want to be but with binoculars or a spotting scope people watch bears come out in the early evening from the many glacier hotel deck or the parking lot outside swiftcurrent inn. we've also seen bears in the early evening on the road into many glacier hotel.

one of the more popular hikes is iceberg lake in the many glacier area & we've seen bears both times when doing it.

Many Glacier s bear central, especially the hills sides in the evening. However, they can be found often during the day just off the iceberg/ptarmigan trail fro the first 2.5 miles. On the west side, the Camas road north of Apgar in the evening is a black bear area.

Hillsides around Many Glacier Hotel and Swiftcurrent Lodge with binoculars. We heard that around sunset there are grizzlies frequenting the road in the Many Glacier but we never got out at that time to check it out. Like Yellowstone, it's hit and miss and they could be anywhere, there was a grizzly we saw from the Many Glacier hotel lounge that was walking the path near the hotel where we had hiked just an hour previously. Most trails in Many Glacier have good potential but you never know where they will be at any given time. There was a Grizzly frequenting Swiftcurrent Trail near Red Rock when we were there but we didn't see it. Of course, I'm scared of grizzlies so were hoping to NOT run into them on trail. :)